Tales of the Mongrel
By Ralph Arata

Where did all those affordable sports cars go?

Most members of the Chicagoland MG Club have been around long enough to remember the days when British Leyland had dealerships around the US as well as gasoline (the real stuff – no ethanol) being less than a $1/gallon. Life was simple then. A drive in an MG, top down, on a sunny day was as much a pleasure as it still is today. Its hard to drive an MG and not be nostalgic.

I have heard that the real heyday of the 2-seater sports car was between 1950 and 1975. During this time, Britain still had a wide range of home-based car manufacturers. It also had a significant need to generate cash for the home country to rejuvenate its economy after World War II. MG, Jaguar, Aston Healey, Triumph and Lotus were sports cars that were being sold every day. The USA was the #1 market for these cars but as the English economy improved many found their way to UK garages too. A key driving component was that many of these cars were affordable to the American population.

Things began to change for these companies in the 70s as labor and management in England just did not seem to get along. US muscle cars had taken the highways and cheap but good quality cars from Japan were also taking hold. There were so many things that just seemed to go wrong that by 1980 many of these English car companies were in financial trouble. In 1980 the last MGBs rolled off the line at Abingdon and the doors closed for good.

Today, many of these former marques are produced not in England but other countries such a China. To this writer these cars are but a shadow of their former self. As we look at the 2-seater, we see cars such as Porsche, the F-Type Jaguar or the Aston Martin DB series. Pricing for these cars can be prohibitive. Manual transmissions are few and far between with most models dropping them altogether. There still is the Miata and Mazda MX cars, made in Japan, but even these can be pricey, and they are just not the same as the deep throated sound and ride of an MGB. Our motoring world seems dominated these days by SUVs and pickup trucks. How did that happen? It is difficult to see all the market dynamics that occurred to bring this about. Women have progressed in status and income and of course our millennials have some differing ideas as far as transportation is concerned. The BMW as some sort of status symbol probably has played a role too. This is just guessing.

In any case, clubs such as the CMGC keep the marques alive and well and continue to play THE key role in maintaining these breeds. One very crucial point is that you can still buy an MGB in decent condition for $10K or even less.

My own daughter is eyeing my “B” and will have it one day! I still get a thrill when filling my “B” with gas and the guy at the next pump says…” what a great car…..I had one in college, should have never sold it”!

~~ Ralph Arata